Morigaon locals seek eviction over encroachment on 1,236 bighas of char land
Residents of Jatiabori village alleged the illegal encroachment by suspected migrants, prompting representations to district authorities and calls for eviction
A file image of eviction drive in Assam
Morigaon, Feb 10: There was a village named Jatiabori along the bank of the mighty river Brahmaputra under the Bhuragaon revenue circle of Morigaon district in central Assam.
The village, encompassing around 2,000 bighas of land, was partially damaged by devastating flood and erosion during 1996-98 and nearly 1,236 bighas of cultivable land were completely submerged in the river Brahmaputra.
Altogether 30 indigenous families were rendered homeless during the flood of 1998. However, in the year 2014, the eroded land again came to the surface as the Bramaputra changed its course towards the northern side of Bhuragaon.
The local people, led by young leader Prasanna Kumar Hazarika, have now alleged that the newly surfaced island or char was encroached upon by suspected Bangladeshi nationals. The local indigenous people of Jatiabori have alleged that 1,236 bighas of land have encroached by some illegal migrants, including people who were recently evicted from Uriamghat in Golaghat district.
The local people have already submitted representations to the district commissioner of Morigaon and the local MLA to evict the illegal encroachers.
The circle officer of Bhuragaon, a few mandals, and a gaon pradhan allegedly remained silent spectators of this illegal encroachment. The local people have alleged that the inaction was due to an underhand deal between the revenue circle office and the illegal encroachers.
When this correspondent contacted the ADC (Revenue) of Morigaon district, Anusuya Sharma, she said that the representation submitted by the local people has been accepted and appropriate action will be taken as per law after the investigation is completed.